Ex-Cub Matt Murton, in his first season in Japan playing for the Hanshin Tigers, broke a 16-year-old Japanese league hits record set by current Seattle Mariner Ichiro Suzuki:
↵↵Murton's two-run single to center in the second inning for the Hanshin Tigers against the Yakult Swallows on Tuesday was his 211th hit of the season.↵↵↵↵Suzuki set the previous record of 210 in 1994 when he played for the Orix BlueWave.
There's always a catch, though:
↵↵When Suzuki set the record, the regular season consisted of 130 games. Since then, the season has been extended by 14 games and Murton was playing in his 142nd game of the season.↵↵
In any case, congratulations to Murton, whose team is also headed to the Japanese playoffs.